making inspiration happen

How do you guys "Force " inspiration. You know make yourself compose something meaningful without waiting for that once in a blue moon inspiration.

Michael

I do several things:

1) Just work through it- brute force. This doesn't always work because this can sometimes leave you more frustrated and shut you down even more.

2) Change instruments. Like Bolanos mentioned, this can sometimes make things more fresh.

3) Change song styles. If I'm struggling to write a jazz piece, I'll work on a classical piece for a while. This can give your ears and mind a break.

4) Listen to other works. Often times this is while I'm jogging to help get rid of physical stress as well.

5) Stop writing completely and do something else. Watch a movie or play a video game for a while. Then come back later and see how things are working out.

While you may not be deeply inspired every time you compose, composing regularly helps your development and strengthen your ability to work and create. Finally it is important to save all ideas. I cannot tell you how many times I've stumbled across an old idea that I thought sucked at the time. Later I've found many ways to make it work or incorporate it into other ideas. Hang on to all ideas because they may help out a good deal later.

Thanks,

Nate

To build off of what Nathan said, it is important to compose regularly and become practiced at it so that when the inspiration does strike, you will be able to get your ideas onto paper quickly and efficiently, and not lose some of them in translation.

To look for inspiration, I sometimes just put on a tape recorder and improvise on the piano for a half-hour. When I replay the tape, there are always a few bits that make good starting points for new pieces.

Inspiration is not what a composer needs to write music. Inspiration is what a composer instills in a listener through his own hard work. :)

Inspiration is not what a composer needs to write music. Inspiration is what a composer instills in a listener through his own hard work. :)

Nonsense.

Inspiration is not what a composer needs to write music. Inspiration is what a composer instills in a listener through his own hard work. :)

Nonsense.

I agree with Berlioz...but part of Alex's statement it accurate. Inspiration isn't what we need to write music...it's why we write music. You get inspired to write That particular piece of music... (semantics, I know. ;) )

ANYWAY....here's my stock response to these threads (distilled from the previous four or five of 'em)

Inspiration comes in (m)any forms. Try something like:

• fly a kite
  
• build a snowman
  
• draw a picture
  
• people watch
  
• listen to music you love
  
• listen to music you hate
  
• take a nap
  
• watch a scary movie
  
• smoke up
  
• eat good food
  
• give a dollar to someone
  
• read a book
  
• go for a walk
  
• improvise, freely
  
• drink tea
  
• drink whiskey
  
• make origami
  

Seriously....looking for inspiration will find you nothing. You can choose to do something decidedly unmusical, or immerse yourself in something wholly musical. Whatever you're doing, simply pay attention to the world around you. Eventually, something will pique your interest and off you go.

Inspiration can be found in the most unlikely places, or the most obvious. Take inspiration from your surroundings, or be given inspiration by others.

Nathan Mentioned "Brute Force" - Get through it - blockage lasts only as long as the measure remains unfilled. Write something in it, and move on... Keep plugging away, bust through it - finish a piece at all costs; whether it's any good or not... OR abandon the troublesome piece and move on, returning to it later.

:whistling:

Get through it - blockage lasts only as long as the measure remains unfilled. Write something in it, and move on... Keep plugging away, bust through it - finish a piece at all costs; whether it's any good or not... OR abandon the troublesome piece and move on, returning to it later.

One key thing for a composer to avoid is focusing too closely on a micro scale too heavily at the first pass of a piece. Don't stare too much as the small picture when starting off, focus on the large picture. Create your large sections and your broad ideas first. Get some good stuff happening and later do the fine touches on the smaller scale.

Focusing too much on a measure at a time can not only waste time and create an unbalanced piece, it can totally kill any inspiration you may have had at the start.

I try a few things depending:

Expose myself to new music, art (try deviantArt.com) books, stories, go outside or go to a new place I don't normally spend time.

Or write down a bunch of adjectives on a piece of paper, cut them up, pick one and express it on the piano (or whatever instrument)

Work abstractly, mathematically, or in some ordered/predictable form until something sounds cool. Then take it and mess with it.

A lot of the time I take something and try to define it in music, then tell a story about it. Do something random. If it sucks, put it away for later and try something else.

A lot of inspiration requires input. Expose yourself to something new.

I just work through it most of the time. It makes the first few bars after you sit down hard, but eventually I'll come across something I'm happy with and then, by that time, everything seems to flow much more easily.

And, if I don't end up with anything I particularly like, just a few bars here and there, I've still excercised that part of my mind, so hopefully it'll become easier next time.

• take a nap

Always works.

• smoke up

Smoke what?

• improvise, freely

Works well!

• drink tea

Yum! I love tea!

• drink whiskey

haha, IDK if this one works :laughs:

Smoke what?

Tobacco, Weed, Crack, your garden shed...